TRDC – The Fairy Princess Dress.

This weeks prompt: Write a piece – 600 word limit – about finding a forgotten item of clothing in the back of a drawer or closet. Let us know how the item was found, what it is, and why it’s so meaningful to you or your character.

It’s a good thing that I had thrown all the clothes into a pile in the middle of the floor outside my closet because when I flopped to the floor in “Muffin Top Despair” it softened the landing. Perspiration and frustration gave my face a glowing sheen as I rolled my eyes at my reflection in the full length mirror on the closet door. I puckered my lips and blew up my cheeks until I resembled the Pillsbury Dough Boy, which is exactly who I felt like. My oldest two daughters came wandering in the bedroom to see what I was up to and flopped into the pile of clothes beside me.

“Whatcha doin Mommy”

“Mommy is trying to find something to look pretty in so I can go on a date with Daddy and knock his socks off.”

“You gonna take his socks off?”

Giggles filled the room as they imagined Mommy wrestling Daddy to get his socks off. My big eyed 3 year old in all of her fashion sense that thinks snow boots, tutus and undershirts is the new “black dress” began to hold up some of the items discarded in the floor.

“What ’bout this? This pretty? This take socks off?”

Her chatter continued as my 5 year old began to look at the items still dangling from the hangers in the closet. She reached in the back and tugged until the velvety blue dress fluttered to the floor. Her fingers rubbed the soft, luxurious fabric and I heard her suck her breath in.

“Ohhhh Mommy, it’s a princess dress”

“I can’t wear that one sweetie, I’ve grown a bit since I wore it last time.”

“Please Mommy, be a princess.”

Her deep brown eyes pierced mine as I took it from her hands where she offered it as though it was some type of magic fabric. How on earth do you explain “Fat” to such young girls? How do you explain what they did to your bodies for 9 months and how nothing is where it used to be? Deciding to just humor her for a moment I began to slip into the soft folds. Slipping isn’t quite the right word. Slipping into it is what I used to do 5 years and 3 kids ago. This was more like shoving biscuit dough back into a popped can. I finally got it all the way up but there was no way the zipper was going to budge an inch up the back.

“Mommy! You are beautiful like a fairy princess!! Look at you! I wanna be like you when I get big.”

I refused to turn around and look into the mirror. Looking at my daughters eyes dance while they grabbed my hands to dance with them, I closed my eyes and dared myself to see myself as they did. The dress had once fit a more slender woman. A woman who had control over herself and a confidence that dared her to buy the low plunging tight blue velvet dress. A woman who sat across from the restaurant table from her newly married husband and dared to run her foot up his leg while whispering bold innuendos. I blushed as I recalled that night and quickly opened my eyes back to the moment I was in.

That fairy princess that my daughters danced around was really there. She was in that moment. As I took the dress back off and hung it back where it belonged in the back of the closet, I was tempted to berate myself a little more about how I had let things go. How after having my 3 daughters nothing was where it used to be anymore…then I realized that everything on me had to move to make way for how large my heart had grown. A heart enlarged and overflowing with the love I had for my children. I may not actually be a fairy princess, but as my fingers rubbed the fabric of the hanging dress I prayed silently that my daughter would indeed be just like me when she got big. That she would be someone’s fairy princess in a blue dress as she was celebrated for being beautiful just the way she was.

This is brilliant.It is a wonderful thing to look at ourselves through the lens of those who love us, who see the fairy princess that we carry inside us….instead of the lens of our self-judgement.Your enlarged heart is a beautiful thing!

Awesome job, you! I loved it! Although the shoving of dough back into the can was slightly disturbing, it presents a great description, lol! 😉 (As did the making room for a growing heart – I would have never thought of that. I'm jealous.)I think your writing is beginning to catch up with your story telling. More practice is in your future, Ms. Princess.Great post!

So, so love it and I could see it. I'm happy they had the moment in the story to be fully content in having a princess mommy. I always hve to stop myself from disagreeing with my children when hey say something like that. I love how children view the world, I wish so much that I could look at it through their eyes sometimes. And the making room for a bigger heart part- priceless.

Oh, I loved this. It resonated so deeply on so many levels.The muffin top despair, the searching for something to knock my husband's socks off, the kids interpretations of adult idioms, and their clear vision and love of their mother's beauty.My children love it when I get dressed up, they finger my jewelry, my clothes, my hair, and I love to give them that gift of love and beauty.I love your blog and I'll be back.Not sure how to leave my email on blogger, it's miri @ lifeafterpush.com

C-Dub, you are an amazing writer! When I die will you write my obituary and make it as awesome as this? The imagery, the emotion, the love, the frustration, the acceptance, the little hands and little words are all so perfect and wonderful and transporting. You took what was a moment and created an eternity of heartwarming love for who you were, who you are, who you want your daughter to be. You are a princess. You are royalty in a castle of tiny maidens and jesters who entertain and worship you without question.Embrace your inner awesome!

This was beautiful, you had me laughing with your vivid descriptions and then you magically turned it into a message we should all learn to live by. You definitely waved your princess wand of words with this one. Loved every bit.

Thank you for this. It's interesting how many of today's posts have to do about body image. I love how your children see you. I'll be it's spot on. This piece is beautifully written because it's honest. You gave us your vulnerability and then you gave us your children's vision. Great job.

I have a traditon: each year (except the two I was 4-5 months pregnant, that would just be cruel)on my anniversary I try on my wedding dress. Each year I have to suck in a little bit more but so far that zipper has done up. And every time I put it on, I feel like a bit of a princess :)My anniversary is a few weeks away…hmmm, wonder what this year will bring.Visiting from RDC

Yeah, so beautiful. I too look forward to seeing my daughter grow into a strong, confident and FORWARD young woman. And oh, how meltingly delicious for your daughters to call you a princess. That's it, I'm playing dress up w/ my toddler tonight…see if I can illicit the same response!

You had me at the first sentence, all the way to the end. I LOVE this post. LOVE it. I wasn't going to do my Saturday favorites this week, but I'm doing a special one just for you. This post should be read by every single woman on the planet.Beautiful!

Thanks for the kind words. I am your newest follower. I loved what you wrote. Sometimes we just need to see ourselves through the eyes of a child. They see us without all of the imperfections and the imperfections are all we see.

If I were reading this alone (I'm not, my husband is talking to me [at me?] and my 4yo is all over the place, the TV is on … but I digress. I would have been full of tears. I had that dress. Blue velvet. I mean it. You just brought me back a ways. AND you brought me to the now. I love it. You ARE a fairy princess. How am I only just meeting you? This spoke to my soul. (I'm a total dork, but I speak from the heart!) 😉

I can so relate to the biscuit dough feeling! Ugh, I have some beautiful dresses in my closet that I would just love to be able to fit into again. How wonderful that your daughters made your heart grow. I can relate to that, too. 🙂

It looks like a lot of us can relate! If only we could believe that we are as perfect and beautiful as our children see us. (At least when they're little – once they're teenagers, we need to stop believing them 😉

This was my favorite line: “then I realized that everything on me had to move to make way for how large my heart had grown.” Such beautiful imagery! And I think you are every bit as beautiful as the fairy princess your girls see! (Visiting from TRDC)

I loved how the story unfolded, from the dramatic frustration, so the awe of the dress by your girls, you capitulating and seeing yourself through their eyes.It's those moments that remind us why we decided sleep deprived, laundry overrun, body ruining reproduction was sooooooooo worth it.I hope my lil Diva thinks I'm a princess some day. :-)Here via TRDC.Email danceswithchaos at gmail *dot* com

Oh, to make room for the heart. I love that. LOVE that.And I promise to think of it every time I get angry when I can't button my jeans. My boys adore me, their “beautiful” mama. All of me. Nothing better than viewing ourselves through their eyes.

OK. THIS is my new fave TRDC link-up from this weekend. Squishing the dough back into a can? Take socks off? LOVE. I laughed out loud.And then there's the beauty of being comfortable in our own stretched-out skin. I really, really enjoyed this. So glad I've found you!

You have such a way with words. You made this story just as enchanting as the moment it was in your memory. Of course you are a fairy princess. Aren't we all?By the way, I love your imagery, the comparisons you use to paint a picture…”This was more like shoving biscuit dough back into a popped can.” “How after having my 3 daughters nothing was where it used to be anymore…then I realized that everything on me had to move to make way for how large my heart had grown. ” Love it.